Semiconductor processing chambers for deposition and etch

ABSTRACT

Exemplary semiconductor substrate supports may include a pedestal having a shaft and a platen. The semiconductor substrate supports may include a cover plate. The cover plate may be coupled with the platen along a first surface of the cover plate. The cover plate may define a recessed channel in a second surface of the cover plate opposite the first surface. The semiconductor substrate supports may include a puck coupled with the second surface of the cover plate. The puck may incorporate an electrode. The puck may define a plurality of apertures extending vertically through the puck to fluidly access the recessed channel defined in the cover plate.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present technology is related to the following applications, allconcurrently filed 8 Sep. 2020, and titled: “SINGLE CHAMBER FLOWABLEFILM FORMATION AND TREATMENTS”, U.S. application Ser. No. 16/932,801,now U.S. Pat. No. 11,615,966, issued on Mar. 28, 2023, and“SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING CHAMBERS FOR DEPOSITION AND ETCH”, U.S.application Ser. No. 17/014,195, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,699,571, issued onJul. 11, 2023. Each of these applications is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present technology relates to semiconductor processing. Morespecifically, the present technology relates to systems and methods fordepositing and treating materials including flowable films.

BACKGROUND

Integrated circuits are made possible by processes which produceintricately patterned material layers on substrate surfaces. Producingpatterned material on a substrate requires controlled methods offormation and removal of exposed material. As device sizes continue toshrink, material formation may affect subsequent operations. Forexample, in gap filling operations a material may be formed or depositedto fill a trench or other feature formed on a semiconductor substrate.As features may be characterized by higher aspect ratios and reducedcritical dimensions, these filling operations may be challenged. Forexample, as the deposition may occur at the top and along sidewalls ofthe feature, continued deposition may pinch off the feature includingbetween sidewalls within the feature, and may produce voids within thefeature. This can impact device performance and subsequent processingoperations.

Thus, there is a need for improved systems and methods that can be usedto produce high quality devices and structures. These and other needsare addressed by the present technology.

SUMMARY

Exemplary semiconductor substrate supports may include a pedestal havinga shaft and a platen. The semiconductor substrate supports may include acover plate. The cover plate may be coupled with the platen along afirst surface of the cover plate. The cover plate may define a recessedchannel in a second surface of the cover plate opposite the firstsurface. The semiconductor substrate supports may include a puck coupledwith the second surface of the cover plate. The puck may incorporate anelectrode. The puck may define a plurality of apertures extendingvertically through the puck to fluidly access the recessed channeldefined in the cover plate.

In some embodiments, the platen may define a fluid channel across theplaten. The recessed channel may be a first recessed channel, and thecover plate may define a second recessed channel radially outward of thefirst recessed channel. The first recessed channel may be fluidlyaccessed from a first lateral channel defined in the cover plate. Thesecond recessed channel may be fluidly accessed from a second lateralchannel defined in the cover plate. The supports may include a firstchannel cover seated on the first recessed channel. The first channelcover may define a plurality of apertures through the first channelcover. Each aperture of the plurality of apertures through the firstchannel cover may be aligned with a corresponding aperture of theplurality of apertures extending vertically through the puck. Thesupports may include a lift pin assembly extending through the platen,the cover plate, and the puck. The lift pin assembly may include a liftpin, a liner, a holder, and a counterweight. An exhaust path may bedefined about the liner and through the holder. The supports may includean RF rod extending through the shaft of the pedestal. The RF rod may beelectrically coupled with the electrode by a conductive connectordisposed within the puck. The supports may include a rod insulatorextending about the RF rod along a length of the RF rod. The pedestalmay be seated in a hub, and the rod insulator may extend through thehub. The supports may include a puck insulator extending about theconductive connector within the puck. The rod insulator may be at leastpartially seated within the puck insulator. The pedestal and cover platemay define a purge path extending to the rod insulator at the coverplate. The purge path may continue along an interior and an exterior ofthe rod insulator.

Some embodiments of the present technology may encompass semiconductorprocessing systems. The systems may include a chamber body. The systemsmay include a substrate support configured to support a semiconductorsubstrate. The substrate support may include a pedestal having a shaftand a platen. The substrate support may include a cover plate. The coverplate may be coupled with the platen along a first surface of the coverplate. The cover plate may define a recessed channel in a second surfaceof the cover plate opposite the first surface. The substrate support mayinclude a puck coupled with the second surface of the cover plate. Thepuck may incorporating an electrode. The puck may define a plurality ofapertures extending vertically through the puck to fluidly access therecessed channel defined in the cover plate. The systems may include afaceplate. The chamber body, the substrate support, and the faceplatemay define a processing region. The chambers may include ahigh-frequency plasma source coupled with the faceplate. The systems mayinclude a low-frequency plasma source coupled with the substratesupport.

In some embodiments the substrate support may include an electrostaticchuck. The semiconductor processing system may also include a DC powersupply coupled with the substrate support. The low-frequency plasmasource may be configured to operate at less than or about 2 MHz. Thehigh-frequency plasma source may be configured to operate at greaterthan or about 13.56 MHz at a pulsing frequency of less than or about 20kHz at a duty cycle of less than or about 20%. The high-frequency plasmasource may be configured to generate a plasma at an effective power ofless than or about 5 W. The recessed channel may be a first recessedchannel. The cover plate may define a second recessed channel radiallyoutward of the first recessed channel. The first recessed channel may befluidly accessed from a first lateral channel defined in the coverplate. The second recessed channel may be fluidly accessed from a secondlateral channel defined in the cover plate. The systems may include afirst channel cover seated on the first recessed channel. The firstchannel cover may define a plurality of apertures through the firstchannel cover. Each aperture of the plurality of apertures through thefirst channel cover may be aligned with a corresponding aperture of theplurality of apertures extending vertically through the puck. Thesystems may include a first L-C filter coupled with the substratesupport and configured to virtually ground the high-frequency plasmasource through the substrate support. The systems may include a secondL-C filter coupled with the faceplate and configured to virtually groundthe low-frequency plasma source to the chamber body.

Such technology may provide numerous benefits over conventional systemsand techniques. For example, by utilizing substrate supports accordingto the present technology, improved cooling and plasma management may beafforded. Additionally, by performing deposition according toembodiments of the present technology, repeatable plasma generationduring deposition operations may be produced. These and otherembodiments, along with many of their advantages and features, aredescribed in more detail in conjunction with the below description andattached figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the disclosedtechnology may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of thespecification and the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary processingchamber according to some embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a chamberaccording to some embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a substratesupport assembly according to some embodiments of the presenttechnology.

FIG. 4A shows a schematic exploded perspective view of a cover plateaccording to some embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 4B shows a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a cover plateaccording to some embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 5A shows a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a substratesupport assembly according to some embodiments of the presenttechnology.

FIG. 5B shows a schematic view of a holder according to some embodimentsof the present technology.

FIG. 6A shows a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a substratesupport assembly according to some embodiments of the presenttechnology.

FIG. 6B shows a schematic partial cross-sectional view of an insulatoraccording to some embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 7 shows exemplary operations in a processing method according tosome embodiments of the present technology.

Several of the figures are included as schematics. It is to beunderstood that the figures are for illustrative purposes, and are notto be considered of scale unless specifically stated to be of scale.Additionally, as schematics, the figures are provided to aidcomprehension and may not include all aspects or information compared torealistic representations, and may include exaggerated material forillustrative purposes.

In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have thesame reference label. Further, various components of the same type maybe distinguished by following the reference label by a letter thatdistinguishes among the similar components. If only the first referencelabel is used in the specification, the description is applicable to anyone of the similar components having the same first reference labelirrespective of the letter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Amorphous silicon may be used in semiconductor device manufacturing fora number of structures and processes, including as a sacrificialmaterial, for example as a dummy gate material, or as a trench fillmaterial. In gap filling operations, some processing may utilizeflowable films formed under process conditions to limit conformality ofdeposition, which may allow the deposited material to better fillfeatures on the substrate. Flowable silicon material may becharacterized by relatively high amounts of hydrogen, and may be lessdense than other formed films. Consequently, subsequent treatmentoperations may be performed to cure the produced films. Conventionaltechnology may utilize a UV curing process to remove hydrogen andprocess the film. However, UV curing may result in significant filmshrinkage, which may cause stress on features as well as produce voidswithin the structure. Additionally, the treatment is formed in aseparate chamber from the deposition chamber, which will reducethroughput by increase processing time.

As feature sizes continue to shrink, flowable films may be challengedfor narrow features, which may be further characterized by higher aspectratios. For example, pinching of the feature may more readily occur dueto deposition on sidewalls of the feature, which in small feature sizesmay further restrict flow further into the feature, and may producevoids. Some conventional flowable film formation may be performed byproducing radicals in a remote capacitively-coupled plasma region or ina remote plasma source unit coupled with the chamber. However, forcyclic formation in high aspect ratio features, this process may provideunreliable deposition. For example, as radicals pass through chambercomponents, such as a faceplate, recombination may challenge consistentprovision of radical effluents. Additionally, remote plasma sources maybe incapable of limiting an amount of deposition within small-pitchfeatures. This may over-deposit within the feature, which may then limitor prevent complete penetration of treatment effluents. This may causedamage during later processing, which may lead to scrapped substrates.

The present technology may overcome these limitations by decouplinghigh-frequency and low-frequency power sources and utilizing a triggersequence allowing a low-power, repeatable plasma generation to beperformed for short periods of time. This may limit deposition duringtrench fill to a tightly controlled amount, as well as assuring completetreatment during a subsequent treatment operation. Additionally, thepresent technology may incorporate substrate support assemblies that maybetter control temperature drift during treatment operations to increaseassurance of a stable and repeatable temperature with each depositioncycle. After describing general aspects of a chamber according to someembodiments of the present technology in which plasma processingoperations discussed below may be performed, specific chamberconfigurations and methodology may be discussed. It is to be understoodthat the present technology is not intended to be limited to thespecific films, chambers, or processing discussed, as the techniquesdescribed may be used to improve a number of film formation processesfor any number of materials, and may be applicable to a variety ofprocessing chambers and operations.

FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of an exemplary processing chamber100 according to some embodiments of the present technology. The figuremay illustrate an overview of a system incorporating one or more aspectsof the present technology, and/or which may perform one or moredeposition or other processing operations according to embodiments ofthe present technology. Additional details of chamber 100 or methodsperformed may be described further below. Chamber 100 may be utilized toform film layers according to some embodiments of the presenttechnology, although it is to be understood that the methods maysimilarly be performed in any chamber within which film formation mayoccur. The processing chamber 100 may include a chamber body 102, asubstrate support 104 disposed inside the chamber body 102, and a lidassembly 106 coupled with the chamber body 102 and enclosing thesubstrate support 104 in a processing volume 120. A substrate 103 may beprovided to the processing volume 120 through an opening 126, which maybe conventionally sealed for processing using a slit valve or door. Thesubstrate 103 may be seated on a surface 105 of the substrate supportduring processing. The substrate support 104 may be rotatable, asindicated by the arrow 145, along an axis 147, where a shaft 144 of thesubstrate support 104 may be located. Alternatively, the substratesupport 104 may be lifted up to rotate as necessary during a depositionprocess.

A plasma profile modulator 111 may be disposed in the processing chamber100 to control plasma distribution across the substrate 103 disposed onthe substrate support 104. The plasma profile modulator 111 may includea first electrode 108 that may be disposed adjacent to the chamber body102, and may separate the chamber body 102 from other components of thelid assembly 106. The first electrode 108 may be part of the lidassembly 106, or may be a separate sidewall electrode. The firstelectrode 108 may be an annular or ring-like member, and may be a ringelectrode. The first electrode 108 may be a continuous loop around acircumference of the processing chamber 100 surrounding the processingvolume 120, or may be discontinuous at selected locations if desired.The first electrode 108 may also be a perforated electrode, such as aperforated ring or a mesh electrode, or may be a plate electrode, suchas, for example, a secondary gas distributor.

One or more isolators 110 a, 110 b, which may be a dielectric materialsuch as a ceramic or metal oxide, for example aluminum oxide and/oraluminum nitride, may contact the first electrode 108 and separate thefirst electrode 108 electrically and thermally from a gas distributor112 and from the chamber body 102. The gas distributor 112 may defineapertures 118 for distributing process precursors into the processingvolume 120. The gas distributor 112 may be coupled with a first sourceof electric power 142, such as an RF generator, RF power source, DCpower source, pulsed DC power source, pulsed RF power source, or anyother power source that may be coupled with the processing chamber. Insome embodiments, the first source of electric power 142 may be an RFpower source.

The gas distributor 112 may be a conductive gas distributor or anon-conductive gas distributor. The gas distributor 112 may also beformed of conductive and non-conductive components. For example, a bodyof the gas distributor 112 may be conductive while a face plate of thegas distributor 112 may be non-conductive. The gas distributor 112 maybe powered, such as by the first source of electric power 142 as shownin FIG. 1 , or the gas distributor 112 may be coupled with ground insome embodiments.

The first electrode 108 may be coupled with a first tuning circuit 128that may control a ground pathway of the processing chamber 100. Thefirst tuning circuit 128 may include a first electronic sensor 130 and afirst electronic controller 134. The first electronic controller 134 maybe or include a variable capacitor or other circuit elements. The firsttuning circuit 128 may be or include one or more inductors 132. Thefirst tuning circuit 128 may be any circuit that enables variable orcontrollable impedance under the plasma conditions present in theprocessing volume 120 during processing. In some embodiments asillustrated, the first tuning circuit 128 may include a first circuitleg and a second circuit leg coupled in parallel between ground and thefirst electronic sensor 130. The first circuit leg may include a firstinductor 132A. The second circuit leg may include a second inductor 132Bcoupled in series with the first electronic controller 134. The secondinductor 132B may be disposed between the first electronic controller134 and a node connecting both the first and second circuit legs to thefirst electronic sensor 130. The first electronic sensor 130 may be avoltage or current sensor and may be coupled with the first electroniccontroller 134, which may afford a degree of closed-loop control ofplasma conditions inside the processing volume 120.

A second electrode 122 may be coupled with the substrate support 104.The second electrode 122 may be embedded within the substrate support104 or coupled with a surface of the substrate support 104. The secondelectrode 122 may be a plate, a perforated plate, a mesh, a wire screen,or any other distributed arrangement of conductive elements. The secondelectrode 122 may be a tuning electrode, and may be coupled with asecond tuning circuit 136 by a conduit 146, for example a cable having aselected resistance, such as 50 ohms, for example, disposed in the shaft144 of the substrate support 104. The second tuning circuit 136 may havea second electronic sensor 138 and a second electronic controller 140,which may be a second variable capacitor. The second electronic sensor138 may be a voltage or current sensor, and may be coupled with thesecond electronic controller 140 to provide further control over plasmaconditions in the processing volume 120.

A third electrode 124, which may be a bias electrode and/or anelectrostatic chucking electrode, may be coupled with the substratesupport 104. The third electrode may be coupled with a second source ofelectric power 150 through a filter 148, which may be an impedancematching circuit. The second source of electric power 150 may be DCpower, pulsed DC power, RF bias power, a pulsed RF source or bias power,or a combination of these or other power sources. In some embodiments,the second source of electric power 150 may be an RF bias power.

The lid assembly 106 and substrate support 104 of FIG. 1 may be usedwith any processing chamber for plasma or thermal processing. Inoperation, the processing chamber 100 may afford real-time control ofplasma conditions in the processing volume 120. The substrate 103 may bedisposed on the substrate support 104, and process gases may be flowedthrough the lid assembly 106 using an inlet 114 according to any desiredflow plan. Gases may exit the processing chamber 100 through an outlet152. Electric power may be coupled with the gas distributor 112 toestablish a plasma in the processing volume 120. The substrate may besubjected to an electrical bias using the third electrode 124 in someembodiments.

Upon energizing a plasma in the processing volume 120, a potentialdifference may be established between the plasma and the first electrode108. A potential difference may also be established between the plasmaand the second electrode 122. The electronic controllers 134, 140 maythen be used to adjust the flow properties of the ground pathsrepresented by the two tuning circuits 128 and 136. A set point may bedelivered to the first tuning circuit 128 and the second tuning circuit136 to provide independent control of deposition rate and of plasmadensity uniformity from center to edge. In embodiments where theelectronic controllers may both be variable capacitors, the electronicsensors may adjust the variable capacitors to maximize deposition rateand minimize thickness non-uniformity independently.

Each of the tuning circuits 128, 136 may have a variable impedance thatmay be adjusted using the respective electronic controllers 134, 140.Where the electronic controllers 134, 140 are variable capacitors, thecapacitance range of each of the variable capacitors, and theinductances of the first inductor 132A and the second inductor 132B, maybe chosen to provide an impedance range. This range may depend on thefrequency and voltage characteristics of the plasma, which may have aminimum in the capacitance range of each variable capacitor. Hence, whenthe capacitance of the first electronic controller 134 is at a minimumor maximum, impedance of the first tuning circuit 128 may be high,resulting in a plasma shape that has a minimum aerial or lateralcoverage over the substrate support. When the capacitance of the firstelectronic controller 134 approaches a value that minimizes theimpedance of the first tuning circuit 128, the aerial coverage of theplasma may grow to a maximum, effectively covering the entire workingarea of the substrate support 104. As the capacitance of the firstelectronic controller 134 deviates from the minimum impedance setting,the plasma shape may shrink from the chamber walls and aerial coverageof the substrate support may decline. The second electronic controller140 may have a similar effect, increasing and decreasing aerial coverageof the plasma over the substrate support as the capacitance of thesecond electronic controller 140 may be changed.

The electronic sensors 130, 138 may be used to tune the respectivecircuits 128, 136 in a closed loop. A set point for current or voltage,depending on the type of sensor used, may be installed in each sensor,and the sensor may be provided with control software that determines anadjustment to each respective electronic controller 134, 140 to minimizedeviation from the set point. Consequently, a plasma shape may beselected and dynamically controlled during processing. It is to beunderstood that, while the foregoing discussion is based on electroniccontrollers 134, 140, which may be variable capacitors, any electroniccomponent with adjustable characteristic may be used to provide tuningcircuits 128 and 136 with adjustable impedance.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a processingchamber 200 according to some embodiments of the present technology.Chamber 200 may include any feature, component, or characteristic ofprocessing chamber 100 described above, and may illustrate additionalfeatures of the chamber, including specific power source coupling withthe chamber. For example, chamber 200 may include a chamber body 205.The chamber may include a substrate support 210, which may be configuredto support a substrate during semiconductor processing. The chamber mayinclude a faceplate 215, which with the pedestal and chamber body maydefine a processing region above a substrate being processed.

Some conventional processing systems may generate a plasma within theprocessing region by applying power to the faceplate while grounding thepedestal, or applying source power to the pedestal and grounding thefaceplate. In some systems an additional bias power may be coupled withthe pedestal to increase directionality of plasma effluents. It is to beunderstood that a separate DC power supply for electrostatic chuckingmay be coupled with the pedestal as previously described with processingchamber 100, which may also be operated to further bias a producedplasma within the processing chamber in addition to chucking thesubstrate. The present technology may differ from conventionalconfigurations by coupling two separate plasma power sources with theshowerhead and pedestal as illustrated. For example, a first plasmapower source 220 may be coupled with the showerhead, and a second plasmapower source 230 may be coupled with the pedestal. In some embodimentsthe first plasma power source 220 may be a high-frequency plasma powersource, and the second plasma power source 230 may be a low-frequencyplasma power source. In some embodiments, low-frequency plasma powersource 230 may be separate from a DC power source, which may be used forelectrostatic coupling a substrate to the pedestal.

The low-frequency plasma power source may operate at a first frequencythat is less than or about 2 MHz, and may operate at a frequency that isless than or about 1.5 MHz, less than or about 1.0 MHz, less than orabout 800 kHz, less than or about 600 kHz, less than or about 500 kHz,less than or about 400 kHz, less than or about 350 kHz, less than orabout 300 kHz, less than or about 250 kHz, less than or about 200 kHz,or less. The high-frequency plasma power source may operate at a secondfrequency that is greater than or about 2 MHz, and may be greater thanor about 10 MHz, greater than or about 13 MHz, such as 13.56 MHz,greater than or about 15 MHz, greater than or about 20 MHz, greater thanor about 40 MHz, or higher.

Additional aspects of the plasma sources may be used to further tune thegenerated plasma within the processing region. For example, chambersaccording to embodiments of the present technology may be used to fillhigh-aspect ratio features, where a discreet amount of deposition may beproduced to limit void formation within the feature being filled.Conventional chambers may be limited in a reduction of plasma powerbased on an inability to produce a repeatable low-power plasma for alimited period of time. The present technology may be used to producematerial layers characterized by a thickness of less than or about 10 nmper cycle. To accomplish this limited deposition, either the depositionperiod may be limited, or the power used during deposition may bereduced. Conventional systems may not be capable of reducing plasmapower below or about 100 W, which may increase the amount of depositionmaterial, and reducing the formation period to accommodate this higherpower may limit the ability to produce a repeatable plasma during amultiple cycle deposition.

The present technology overcomes these issues by producing a low-powerdeposition plasma, which may be characterized by an effective plasmapower of less than or about 20 W, and may be characterized by aneffective plasma power of less than or about 15 W, less than or about 10W, less than or about 8 W, less than or about 6 W, less than or about 5W, less than or about 4 W, less than or about 3 W, or less. To producethis lower power plasma during a deposition operation, the system mayoperate the high-frequency plasma power at a pulsing frequency of lessthan or about 200 kHz, and may operate the plasma power at a pulsingfrequency of less than or about 150 kHz, less than or about 100 kHz,less than or about 80 kHz, less than or about 70 kHz, less than or about60 kHz, less than or about 50 kHz, less than or about 40 kHz, less thanor about 30 kHz, less than or about 20 kHz, less than or about 10 kHz,or less. Additionally, and at any of the pulsing frequencies noted, thehigh-frequency plasma power source may be operated at a reduced dutycycle, which may be less than or about 50%, and may be less than orabout 45%, less than or about 40%, less than or about 35%, less than orabout 30%, less than or about 25%, less than or about 20%, less than orabout 15%, less than or about 10%, less than or about 5%, or less.

In some embodiments, the reduced pulsing frequency and duty cycle, maychallenge plasma generation in a consistent manner. The low-power plasmaonce generated may produce a low-rate deposition to limit deposition percycle, however, ignition may be challenged. Accordingly, in someembodiments, the plasma power may operate with a trigger sequence tofacilitate plasma generation during deposition. For example, as notedabove, in some embodiments the deposition operation may be performedwithout the low-frequency plasma power source. However, in someembodiments during the deposition operation, the low-frequency plasmapower source may be operated to facilitate ignition. Additionally, thelow-frequency plasma power source may not be operated, and a power spikemay be applied with the high-frequency plasma power source to facilitateignition. The power spike may be applied directly with power management,or through a level-to-level operation of the high-frequency plasma powersource.

The low-frequency plasma power source may also be operated to controlplasma formation and ion directionality during processing. By deliveringthe low-frequency plasma power through the pedestal, the plasma sheathformed at this powered electrode may benefit directionality of ions intothe feature being densified. The low-frequency plasma power source maybe operated at any of the power levels or pulsing frequencies notedabove, although in some embodiments the second power source 230 may beoperated at a greater plasma power than the first power source 220during a treatment operation. For example, during the treatment theplasma power delivered by the second power source may be greater than orabout 50 W, and may be greater than or about 100 W, greater than orabout 200 W, greater than or about 300 W, greater than or about 400 W,greater than or about 500 W, greater than or about 600 W, greater thanor about 700 W, greater than or about 800 W, or more. By increasing theplasma power of the low-frequency power supply during the treatmentplasma formation, a greater amount of plasma effluents may be generated.Applying greater low-frequency power from the pedestal may increase adirectionality of delivery perpendicular to a plane across thesubstrate.

Additional adjustments may be made to further increase etching ofdeposited material along sidewalls of the features by adjusting one ormore characteristics of the plasma power or bias power being supplied.For example, in some embodiments both the plasma power source and biaspower source may be operated in a continuous wave mode. Additionally,one or both of the power sources may be operated in a pulsed mode. Insome embodiments, the high-frequency source power may be operated in acontinuous wave mode or pulsed mode while the low-frequency power may beoperated in a pulsed mode during the treatment. A pulsing frequency forthe low-frequency plasma power source may be less than or about 1,000Hz, and may be less than or about 900 Hz, less than or about 800 Hz,less than or about 700 Hz, less than or about 600 Hz, less than or about500 Hz, less than or about 400 Hz, less than or about 300 Hz, less thanor about 200 Hz, less than or about 100 Hz, or less. The duty cycle ofthe second power supply may be less than or about 50%, and thelow-frequency plasma power may be operated at a duty cycle of less thanor about 45%, less than or about 40%, less than or about 35%, less thanor about 30%, less than or about 25%, less than or about 20%, less thanor about 15%, less than or about 10%, less than or about 5%, or less. Byoperating the low-frequency power at a reduced duty cycle, such as anon-time duty of less than or about 50%, a greater amount of time percycle may be performing a more isotropic etch within the feature basedon operation of the high-frequency power supply, which may better removematerial from the sidewalls during a densification operation.

The first plasma power source 220 may be coupled with ground virtuallythrough the pedestal. For example, as illustrated, a first L-C filter225 may be coupled with the pedestal and may virtually ground thehigh-frequency plasma source through the pedestal. Similarly, the secondplasma power source 230 may be coupled with ground through the chamber.For example, a second L-C filter 235 may be coupled with the faceplate,which may virtually ground the low-frequency plasma source, such as tothe chamber body or an external ground. By separating the high-frequencypower supply and the low-frequency power supply, improved plasmageneration and operation may be provided.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a substratesupport assembly 300 according to some embodiments of the presenttechnology. As explained above, the present technology may be used insome embodiments to perform low-temperature depositions and cures withina single chamber. Semiconductor support assemblies configured for lowtemperature operations at low plasma powers may suffer from a number ofissues. For example, when electrostatic chucks are employed, a substratesupport surface or puck may be a dielectric material in which anelectrode is included. The electrode, which may include multipleelectrodes, may be one or both of a chucking electrode with which a DCpower supply may be coupled, as well as a plasma generating electrodewith which an RF power supply may be coupled.

Substrate support assemblies according to some embodiments of thepresent technology may include a low-frequency power supply coupled withthe substrate support assembly as discussed above. The substrate supportassembly may also be configured to maintain a substrate at a temperaturefor both deposition and treatment operations. While the pedestal may beoperated to maintain a substrate temperature, the dielectric puck mayproduce a temperature gradient from underlying cooling channels at leastpartially insulating the puck and reducing cooling. Additionally, plasmaperformance may impact substrate temperature as well. For example, thepresent technology may include cyclic formation and treatment of aflowable film. Conventional technologies may move the substrate betweentwo chambers separately performing deposition and treatment, which mayfacilitate ensuring the substrate is maintained at a setpointtemperature during each deposition operation. Because temperature mayaffect deposition rates and film flow properties, maintaining aconsistent substrate temperature for each deposition cycle may improvefilm formation through a feature.

Because the present technology may produce a treatment plasma in thesame processing chamber in which the deposition occurs, cooling thesubstrate back down to a deposition setpoint may become an issue due tothe plasma exposure during treatment. While the deposition plasma mayoccur at low plasma power, the treatment may be performed at higherplasma powers from the source plasma, which may be ten times as muchplasma power or more, and which may increase the thermal load on thesubstrate. This may cause the substrate temperature to increase duringthe treatment operation much more than may occur during deposition.While the substrate support assembly may operate to cool the substrateback to the deposition setpoint, the dielectric material of the puck,such as a ceramic, may slow a cooling rate, and regions of the substratemay not cool as readily between a treatment and a subsequent depositionoperation. The present technology may overcome these issues byincreasing heat transfer to the backside of the substrate.

Substrate support assembly 300 may be similar to substrate support 104or substrate support 210, and may include any feature, component, orcharacteristic of those supports described above, including anyassociated components or power supplies. Substrate support assembly 300may include a pedestal 305, which may include a shaft 307 and a platen308. Platen 308 may define a one or more fluid channels 309 in a surfaceof the platen. Fluid channels 309 may include one or more channels, suchas a spiral or other circuitous pattern, which may couple with a fluidsource through an inlet and outlet channel through the shaft. The fluidsource may include a cooled or heated fluid in embodiments, including achiller to further reduce a fluid temperature. The substrate support maybe configured to maintain a temperature below or about 100° C., and insome embodiments may be configured to maintain a temperature below orabout 80° C., below or about 60° C., below or about 40° C., below orabout 20° C., below or about 0° C., below or about −5° C., below orabout −10° C., below or about −15° C., below or about −20° C., below orabout −25° C., or lower.

Seated on the platen, such as overlying the fluid channels, may be acover plate 310. The cover plate 310 may be seated and coupled with theplaten 308 on a first surface 312 of the cover plate. Cover plate 310may be further characterized by a second surface 314 opposite the firstsurface. Second surface 314 may define one or more channels 315, whichmay be recessed channels defined in the second surface 314 of the coverplate 331. Second surface 314 may also define a circumferential recess317, which may define an interior platform on which a puck 320 may beseated. Recess 317 may provide protection against ingress of particlesbetween the puck 320 and the cover plate 310. By encompassing the areaalong which the components are adhered or bonded, the recess may limitany gap or break along an edge that may allow an ingress of materials.Pedestal 305 and cover plate 310 may each be made of a conductivematerial, such as a metal like aluminum or any other material that maybe thermally conductive. Puck 320 may include a chucking electrode forelectrostatic chucking, and thus puck 320 may be a dielectric material,such as aluminum nitride or some other ceramic, in some embodiments.Accordingly, puck 320 may be adhesively bonded with the second surface314 of the cover plate 310 in some embodiments of the presenttechnology. As will be explained further below, the puck may define aplurality of apertures extending vertically through the puck. Theapertures may fluidly access the recessed channels 315, and may formfluid paths through the puck. This may allow for additional and zonaltemperature control at a first region accessible from fluid channel 315a, and a second region accessible from fluid channel 315 b. Any numberof fluid channels may be formed in some embodiments of the presenttechnology.

Substrate support assembly 300 may include one or more lift pinassemblies 325 extending through the platen, cover plate, and the puck.In some embodiments, an edge ring 330 may be seated on a recessed ledgedefined on the puck and extending about an outer edge of the puck. Asillustrated, edge ring 330 may be seated on an external ledge of coverplate 310. The edge ring coupling with the cover plate and pedestal,which may all be conductive materials, may provide a more symmetricground path for the high-frequency plasma power source, which mayimprove plasma uniformity in some embodiments. Extending through theplaten may be an RF rod 335, which may be coupled with an RF match of alow-frequency power supply as discussed above. Pedestal 305 may beseated on a hub 340, through which the RF rod 335 may extend. RF rod 335may have a rod insulator 345 extending about the RF rod, and may extendwith the RF rod through each of the hub 340, pedestal 305, cover plate310, and puck 320. By having the rod insulator 345 extend along a lengthof the RF rod and through the hub, an RF leak path to the pedestal maybe prevented at the hub.

At an opposite end of the RF rod 335, the RF rod may be coupled with theelectrode disposed within the puck 320. A conductive connector 350, suchas a molybdenum or other conductive material, may couple with the RF rod335 and the electrode. The connection may be with any connector type,including a Multilam or other multiple contact connector on the RF rod.An additional puck insulator 355, which may be seated within a recessdefined in the puck, may extend about the conductive connector 350. RFrod 335 and rod insulator 345 may be at least partially seated withinthe puck insulator 355. The puck insulator and the rod insulator mayoperate to fully enclose the RF rod 335 through the components of thesubstrate support assembly extending into the processing chamber, whichmay further reduce or limit leak paths, which may otherwise lead tostray arcing. These components will be described further below.

FIG. 4A shows a schematic exploded perspective view of a cover plate 400according to some embodiments of the present technology. Cover plate 400may include any feature, component, or characteristic of cover plate 310described above. For example, cover plate 400 may include a materialdefining a first recessed channel 405 a extending about the cover plate.The cover plate 400 may also define a second recessed channel 405 b, aswell as any number of additional recessed channels in some embodiments,and second recessed channel 405 b may be radially outward of the firstrecessed channel. Although shown as annular channels, the channels maybe characterized by any shape about the cover plate. An aperture 407 maybe formed through each recessed channel extending into the plate toaccess a lateral channel as will be described below. The recessedchannels may be annular channels defined about the cover plate. Recessedchannels 405 may include a channel cover 410 seated on the recessedchannels to define one or more flow paths from the channels. Channelcover 410 a may be disposed over first recessed channel 405 a andchannel cover 410 b may be disposed over second recessed channel 405 b.As illustrated, each channel cover may define one or more, such as aplurality of apertures 412 extending through the channel cover. Theapertures may be spaced about the channel cover to provide access fromthe recessed channels. The apertures through the channel covers may bealigned with apertures extending vertically through the puck of thesubstrate support assembly, which may define fluid channels extending tothe backside of a substrate being processed.

Cover plate 400 may define one or more apertures 415 extending throughthe cover plate, which may provide access for a lift pin assembly toextend through the plate as will be described further below. Cover plate400 may define a central aperture 420 through the cover plate, which mayallow access for an RF rod and rod insulator as previously described.The central aperture 420 may define a recessed ledge on which a purgecover 425 may be seated. As will be described further below, purge cover425 may extend over a purge channel extending through the cover plateand extending to the central aperture 420 through the cover plate. Aprotrusion on the purge cover may extend over the channel formed.Additional apertures 428 may be formed outward of the central aperture,and may provide fluid access to lateral channels 430 extending outwardthrough the plate along a radius to access the recessed channels.

FIG. 4B shows a schematic partial cross-sectional view of cover plate400 according to some embodiments of the present technology. Asillustrated, cover plate 400 may define recessed channels 405 into whichchannel covers 410 may be disposed. The channel covers may becharacterized by a U-shape or other profile to form a closed channel forfluid flow. Access from the channel may be provided by apertures 412defined through the channel covers. The apertures 412 may be recessed asillustrated, which may allow a porous plug to be disposed within therecess in some embodiments. As noted above, each recessed channel 405may include an aperture 407 defined through the cover plate, and whichmay extend partially into the cover plate to access a lateral channel430 defined within the plate. Although a single lateral channel mayprovide fluid access to both or all recessed channels, in someembodiments each recessed channel may be accessed by a separate lateralchannel through the plate. A fluid flow, such as a gas flow of helium,argon, or some other gas, may flow through cover plate 400 and along thelateral channels 430. The fluid may flow up into recessed channels 405through apertures 407, and may flow about the recessed channels. Thefluid flow may then extend up through apertures 412, and throughcorresponding apertures through the puck, which may provide access tothe backside of the substrate. Because the fluid may be cooled duringdelivery through the substrate support assembly, the gas may facilitatecooling of the substrate from a backside of the substrate.

Accordingly, by modulating the fluid flow through the puck, improvedcooling may be provided over conductive cooling from the supportassembly alone. For example, by increasing a fluid flow during and/orafter a treatment operation, the temperature of the substrate may morereadily be returned to a deposition setpoint temperature. By providingmultiple recessed channels delivering separate fluid flow paths,different regions may be cooled at different rates, which mayaccommodate uneven temperature distributions across the substrate.Consequently, thermal load issues produced during treatment operationsmay be accommodated with substrate support assemblies according to thepresent technology, which may improve uniformity of depositionoperations by ensuring a consistent substrate temperature at eachdeposition cycle.

FIG. 5A shows a schematic partial cross-sectional view of substratesupport assembly 300 according to some embodiments of the presenttechnology, and may illustrate additional aspects of lift pin assembly325 described above, as well as illustrating additional features of thesupport assembly. As illustrated, substrate support assembly 300 mayinclude a platen 308 of a pedestal. A cover plate 310 may be seated overthe platen, with the cover plate defining one or more recessed channels315, which may include channel covers 410 disposed within the channels.The substrate support assembly 300 may include a puck 320 and an edgering 330 as previously described.

Puck 320 may have an electrode 505 incorporated within the puck andconfigured to operate as a chucking electrode and/or a plasma electrodeas previously described. An additional chucking electrode may also beincluded beneath the plasma generating electrode 505 as discussed above.Puck 320 may define a number of protrusions or mesas 515, which mayfacilitate J-R chucking at the substrate surface, which may be seated onthe protrusions. Accordingly, by being seated on offsets, a backside gapmay be formed between the puck and the substrate. Accordingly, aspreviously described, a fluid may be flowed up through apertures 510defined vertically through the chuck and aligned with apertures throughthe cover plate channel covers as previously described. This may enhancecooling of the substrate as noted above.

Lift pin assembly 325 may extend through the platen 308, the cover plate310, and the puck 320 as illustrated. The lift pin assembly may beformed to limit plasma generation within the lift pin hole, as well asto limit entrapment of helium, which may flow into the aperture throughthe puck. As illustrated, a counterbore aperture may be formed throughthe puck, with a smaller diameter aperture portion extending to the pucksurface. The lift pin 520 may be characterized by a reduced diameter atthe substrate contact end, and may be positioned just below an accessfrom the aperture through the puck. For example, the lift pin 520 may berecessed less than or about 2 mm from the surface of the puck, and maybe recessed less than or about 1 mm from the surface of the puck, lessthan or about 800 μm, less than or about 700 μm, less than or about 600μm, less than or about 500 μm, less than or about 400 μm, less than orabout 300 μm, less than or about 200 μm, or less.

A liner 525 may be fitted into the aperture through the puck and seatedagainst an o-ring 527 or other stopper seated against the puck surfaceto limit contact from the liner during translation of the lift pin. Theliner may define an interior path through which the lift pin may extend,and may define a stop distance that may be contacted by a ledge definedon the lift pin as shown. The liner may be held in place by a holder530, which may be fitted into the platen 308 and define an opposite stopdistance for the lift pin as shown. A counterweight 535 may be coupledwith an opposite end of the lift pin 520 from the substrate contact end,and may maintain the lift pin in a recessed position during substrateprocessing. The lift pin assembly may be passive in operation, and maybe activated by a vertically recessing substrate support assembly. Thecounterweight may be contacted from below as the substrate supportretracts from an operational position, and may extend the lift pin upthrough the assembly to lift the substrate from the support. Any numberof lift pin assemblies may be included in some embodiments of thepresent technology.

As noted above, helium from the backside cooling may enter the lift pinassembly and become entrapped if not provided a purge path. Accordingly,in some embodiments a gap spacing may be formed about an end of the liftpin and the liner, which may allow helium or some other cooling fluid toflow into the lift pin assembly. Additionally, the holder 530 may beconfigured to allow a fluid to escape while maintaining the lift pin inposition. FIG. 5B shows a schematic view of a holder 530 according tosome embodiments of the present technology. As illustrated, holder 530may define an aperture 532 through which a lift pin may extend. Theradius of at least part of the aperture 532 may be sized to ensure thelift pin ledge may be seated on the holder when the lift pin is in theretracted position. Additionally, the holder may define an exhaust path534 about the aperture, which may extend from the liner and allow acooling fluid to escape from the lift pin assembly. In this way,entrapped gas may not build pressure and ignite during processingoperations.

FIG. 6A shows a schematic partial cross-sectional view of substratesupport assembly 300 according to some embodiments of the presenttechnology, and may illustrate additional feature of a purge pathextending through the assembly. Although the processing region of thechamber may be maintained at vacuum pressure, internal components withinthe pedestal shaft may be maintained closer to atmospheric pressure.During low temperature operation, condensation may occur within theseregions, which may cause arcing at the RF rod, or other corrosion withinthe substrate support assembly. Accordingly, in some embodiments anadditional purge path may be formed extending about the RF rod andassociated components to ensure condensation may be limited or preventedwithin the system.

As illustrated, a purge path 605 may extend through the pedestal shaftand platen 308, and connect with the cover plate 310. The purge path 605may then extend laterally into the central region in which the RF rodextends through the shaft. As noted above, a purge cover 425 may beseated over the path to direct flow into the central aperture. In someembodiments a gap may be formed between the RF rod insulator 345 andother components within the puck 320, including the puck insulator 355and the conductive connector 350. As illustrated, when the purge flow,which may be nitrogen or any other material, impinges on the rodinsulator 345, the flow may be bifurcated vertically up and down, aswell as circumferentially about the rod insulator. The purge path mayextend down along an exterior of the rod insulator, as well as upbetween the rod insulator and the puck insulator 355. Flow may thenextend down along an interior surface of the rod insulator, such asbetween the rod insulator and the conductive connector, as well asbetween the rod insulator and the RF rod. This may ensure that air maybe purged from the substrate support assembly to protect fromcondensation.

FIG. 6B shows a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a rodinsulator 345 according to some embodiments of the present technology.As illustrated, rod insulator 345 may define a ledge 610 along aninterior surface, and which may constrict an inner diameter from an endportion that may extend about a conductive connector as illustratedabove. The diameter may then be reduced as the rod insulator extendsalong a length of the RF rod through the pedestal. Additionally, rodinsulator 345 may define one or more recesses 615 in an end of the rodinsulator where the rod insulator may abut the puck insulator. Recesses615 may ensure purge gas may extend from an exterior side of the rodinsulator to an interior side to purge along the RF rod. Because theaccesses may be formed in a region recessed within the puck insulator,RF leakage may be controlled or prevented.

Processing chamber 100 and/or processing chamber 200 may be utilized insome embodiments of the present technology for processing methods thatmay include formation, etching, or curing of materials for semiconductorstructures. The chambers may include any of the substrate supportassembly components or features described above. It is to be understoodthat the chamber described is not to be considered limiting, and anychamber that may be configured to perform operations as described may besimilarly used. FIG. 7 shows exemplary operations in a processing method700 according to some embodiments of the present technology. The methodmay be performed in a variety of processing chambers and on one or moremainframes or tools, including processing chamber 100 or processingchamber 200 described above. Method 700 may include a number of optionaloperations, which may or may not be specifically associated with someembodiments of methods according to the present technology. For example,many of the operations are described in order to provide a broader scopeof the structural formation, but are not critical to the technology, ormay be performed by alternative methodology as would be readilyappreciated.

Method 700 may include additional operations prior to initiation of thelisted operations. For example, additional processing operations mayinclude forming structures on a semiconductor substrate, which mayinclude both forming and removing material. For example, transistorstructures, memory structures, or any other structures may be formed.Prior processing operations may be performed in the chamber in whichmethod 700 may be performed, or processing may be performed in one ormore other processing chambers prior to delivering the substrate intothe semiconductor processing chamber or chambers in which method 700 maybe performed. Regardless, method 700 may optionally include delivering asemiconductor substrate to a processing region of a semiconductorprocessing chamber, such as processing chamber 200 described above, orother chambers that may include components as described above. Thesubstrate may be deposited on a substrate support, which may be apedestal such as substrate support 210, which may be or includesubstrate support assembly 300, and which may reside in a processingregion of the chamber, such as processing volume 120 described above.

A substrate to be processed may be or include any number of materialsused in semiconductor processing. The substrate material may be orinclude silicon, germanium, dielectric materials including silicon oxideor silicon nitride, metal materials, or any number of combinations ofthese materials, which may be the substrate or materials formed on thestructure. Features may be characterized by any shape or configurationaccording to the present technology. In some embodiments, the featuresmay be or include a trench structure or aperture formed within thesubstrate. Although the features may be characterized by any shapes orsizes, in some embodiments the features may be characterized by higheraspect ratios, or a ratio of a depth of the feature to a width acrossthe feature. For example, in some embodiments features may becharacterized by aspect ratios greater than or about 5:1, and may becharacterized by aspect ratios greater than or about 10:1, greater thanor about 15:1, greater than or about 20:1, greater than or about 25:1,greater than or about 30:1, greater than or about 40:1, greater than orabout 50:1, or greater. Additionally, the features may be characterizedby narrow widths or diameters across the feature including between twosidewalls, such as a dimension less than or about 20 nm, and may becharacterized by a width across the feature of less than or about 15 nm,less than or about 12 nm, less than or about 10 nm, less than or about 9nm, less than or about 8 nm, less than or about 7 nm, less than or about6 nm, less than or about 5 nm, or less.

In some embodiments, method 700 may include optional treatmentoperations, such as a pretreatment, that may be performed to prepare asurface of the substrate for deposition. Once prepared, method 700 mayinclude delivering one or more precursors to a processing region of thesemiconductor processing chamber housing the structure. The precursorsmay include one or more silicon-containing precursors, as well as one ormore diluents or carrier gases such as an inert gas or other gasdelivered with the silicon-containing precursor. Although the presentmethod will be explained in relation to producing a flowable siliconfilm, it is to be understood the method and/or chambers described may beused to produce any number of materials according to embodiments of thepresent technology. A plasma may be formed of the deposition precursorsincluding the silicon-containing precursor at operation 705. The plasmamay be formed within the processing region, which may allow depositionmaterials to deposit on the substrate. For example, in some embodimentsa capacitively-coupled plasma may be formed within the processing regionby applying plasma power to the faceplate as previously described. Forexample, a high-frequency power supply as discussed above may beoperated at a reduced effective plasma power to deposit materials withinthe features on the substrate.

A silicon-containing material may be deposited on the substrate atoperation 710 from plasma effluents of the silicon-containing precursor.The material may be a flowable silicon-containing material in someembodiments, which may be or include amorphous silicon. The depositedmaterials may at least partially flow into the features on the substrateto provide a bottom-up type of gap fill. The deposited material may flowinto the bottom of the feature, although an amount of material mayremain on the sidewalls of the substrate as illustrated. Although theamount deposited may be relatively small, the remaining material on thesidewalls may limit subsequent flow.

The power applied during deposition may be a lower power plasma, whichmay limit dissociation, and which may maintain an amount of hydrogenincorporation in the deposited materials. This incorporated hydrogen maycontribute to the flowability of the materials deposited. Accordingly,in some embodiments a plasma power source may deliver a plasma power tothe faceplate of less than or about 100 W, and may deliver a power ofless than or about 90 W, less than or about 80 W, less than or about 70W, less than or about 60 W, less than or about 50 W, or less. This powermay be further attenuated by operating the high-frequency power supplyat a pulsing frequency and duty cycle as previously explained, which mayproduce an effective power below or about 10 W, and may produce aneffective power below or about 5 W, as discussed above.

Subsequent an amount of deposition, in some embodiments of the presenttechnology a treatment or curing process may be formed that isconfigured to densify the formed material, and may beneficially clean oretch back material on the sidewalls of the feature. This process may beperformed in the same chamber as the deposition, and may be performed ina cyclic process to fill the feature. In some embodiments thesilicon-containing precursor flow may be halted and the processingregion may be purged. Subsequent a purge, a treatment precursor may beflowed into the processing region of the processing chamber. Thetreatment precursor may be or include hydrogen, helium, argon, oranother inert material, which may not be chemically reactive with thefilm. A treatment plasma may be formed at operation 715, which may alsobe a capacitively-coupled plasma formed within the processing region.While the deposition plasma formed may be formed by applying ahigh-frequency plasma power to the faceplate or showerhead, and which insome embodiments may not include another power source being engaged. Thetreatment may utilize both the high-frequency power supply as well as alow-frequency power supply coupled with the substrate support aspreviously discussed. The high-frequency power supply may be operated ata first power level and the low-frequency power supply may be operatedat a second power level during the treatment, and the two power levelsmay be similar or different in embodiments of the present technology.

While the high-frequency power supply may be operated at a pulsed andlow-effective power during the deposition plasma, the high-frequencypower supply may be operated in a continuous wave configuration duringthe treatment, which may be at any of the plasma powers previouslydescribed. The low-frequency power supply may be operated in a pulsingmode during the treatment, which may be at any of the pulsingfrequencies and/or duty cycles as previously described.

During the deposition operation, the low-frequency power supply may notbe operated. As discussed above, to enable a repeatable plasmageneration at low power, a trigger sequence may be utilized to ensureplasma generation during each deposition operation. The trigger sequencemay include a first period of time and a second period of time, whichtogether may create a deposition period of time. To limit deposition insome embodiments, the deposition period of time may be less than orabout 30 seconds, and may be less than or about 20 seconds, less than orabout 15 seconds, less than or about 10 seconds, less than or about 8seconds, less than or about 6 seconds, less than or about 5 seconds,less than or about 4 seconds, or less. The first period of time may beless than the second period of time, and the first period of time may beused to ensure plasma generation occurs, while limiting an effect on thedeposition process. Accordingly, in some embodiments the first period oftime may be less than or about 2 seconds, and may be less than or about1 second, less than or about 0.5 seconds, less than or about 0.4seconds, less than or about 0.3 seconds, less than or about 0.2 seconds,less than or about 0.1 seconds, less than or about 0.09 seconds, lessthan or about 0.08 seconds, less than or about 0.07 seconds, less thanor about 0.06 seconds, less than or about 0.05 seconds, or less.

In some embodiments a first power may be applied by the high-frequencypower source during the first period of time, which may be higher than asecond power applied by the high-frequency power source during thesecond period of time. For example, during the first period of time, thefirst power may be greater than or about 50 W, and may be greater thanor about 80 W, greater than or about 100 W, greater than or about 120 W,greater than or about 140 W, greater than or about 160 W, greater thanor about 180 W, greater than or about 200 W, or higher. Thehigh-frequency power source may then apply power during the secondperiod of time at any of the effective powers discussed above during theremainder of the deposition time. Additionally, the high-frequency powersource may be operated consistently during the deposition time, butduring the first period of time the low-frequency power source may beapplied at any power level discussed above to ensure ignition. Inanother example, the high-frequency power supply may be operated in amulti-level pulsing configuration during the first period of time beforeswitching the desired effective power during the second period of time.The multi-level pulsing may include a number of pulses, which may eachbe less than 0.1 seconds, for example, such as less than or about 50microseconds, less than or about 40 microseconds, less than or about 30microseconds, less than or about 20 microseconds, or less, and which alloccur during the first period of time. The pulses may include a higherinitial pulse for a first fraction of the pulse, followed by a lowersecond pulse for a second fraction of the pulse. The two portions of thepulse may occur at any power levels previously described.

During the treatment operation, the substrate support assembly may beused to maintain the temperature of the substrate at operation 720, andmay continue to control the temperature prior to a subsequent depositionoperation. For example, in addition to conductive cooling through thesubstrate support assembly, in some embodiments a backside gas may beprovided and modulated to further control the substrate temperatureduring the higher power treatment operation. Simultaneously, oradditionally, plasma effluents delivered more directionally maypenetrate the remaining film formed at the bottom of the feature, andmay reduce hydrogen incorporation to densify the film at operation 725.Subsequent the treatment, the backside gas may continue to be flowed tobring the temperature back down to a deposition setpoint prior to asubsequent deposition cycle.

Although the deposition may be formed to several nanometers or more, byperforming an etch process as previously described, the thickness ofdensified material may be controlled to be at a thickness of less thanor about 100 Å, and may be less than or about 90 Å, less than or about80 Å, less than or about 70 Å, less than or about 60 Å, less than orabout 50 Å, less than or about 40 Å, less than or about 30 Å, less thanor about 20 Å, less than or about 10 Å, or less. By controlling thethickness of the deposited material, conversion through the entirethickness may be performed more readily, and penetration issues commonin conventional processes may be resolved. The process may then be fullyrepeated for any number of cycles to continue to produce the densifiedmaterial up through the feature.

Any number of precursors may be used with the present technology withregard to the deposition precursors used during any of the formationoperations. Silicon-containing precursors that may be used during mayinclude, but are not limited to, silane (SiH₄), disilane (Si₂H₆), orother organosilanes including cyclohexasilanes, silicon tetrafluoride(SiF₄), silicon tetrachloride (SiCl₄), dichlorosilane (SiH₂Cl₂),tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), as well as any other silicon-containingprecursors that may be used in silicon-containing film formation. Thesilicon-containing material may be nitrogen-free, oxygen-free, and/orcarbon-free in some embodiments. In any of the operations one or moreadditional precursors may be included, such as inert precursors, whichmay include Ar, diatomic hydrogen, He, or other materials such asnitrogen, ammonia, or other precursors.

Temperature and pressure may also impact operations of the presenttechnology. For example, in some embodiments to facilitate film flow,the process may be performed at a temperature below or about 20° C., andmay be performed at a temperature less than or about 10° C., less thanor about 0° C., less than or about −10° C., less than or about −20° C.,less than or about −30° C., or lower. The temperature may be maintainedin any of these ranges throughout the method, including during thetreatment and densifying. Pressure within the chamber may be keptrelatively low for any of the processes as well, such as at a chamberpressure of less than or about 10 Torr, and pressure may be maintainedat less than or about 8 Torr, less than or about 6 Torr, less than orabout 5 Torr, less than or about 4 Torr, less than or about 3 Torr, lessthan or about 2 Torr, less than or about 1 Torr, or less. Additionally,the pressure may be maintained at different levels during the depositionand the treatment in some embodiments. For example, the pressure may bemaintained greater than or about 1 Torr during the deposition, such asgreater than or about 2 Torr, greater than or about 3 Torr, or higher,and the pressure may be maintained less than or about 1 Torr during thetreatment, such as less than or about 0.8 Torr, less than or about 0.5Torr, less than or about 0.1 Torr, or less. By performing processesaccording to some embodiments of the present technology, improved fillof narrow features utilizing silicon-containing or other flowablematerials may be produced, while ensuring adequate temperature controlof the substrate within a single processing chamber.

In the preceding description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousdetails have been set forth in order to provide an understanding ofvarious embodiments of the present technology. It will be apparent toone skilled in the art, however, that certain embodiments may bepracticed without some of these details, or with additional details.

Having disclosed several embodiments, it will be recognized by those ofskill in the art that various modifications, alternative constructions,and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of theembodiments. Additionally, a number of well-known processes and elementshave not been described in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring thepresent technology. Accordingly, the above description should not betaken as limiting the scope of the technology. Additionally, methods orprocesses may be described as sequential or in steps, but it is to beunderstood that the operations may be performed concurrently, or indifferent orders than listed.

Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that eachintervening value, to the smallest fraction of the unit of the lowerlimit, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upperand lower limits of that range is also specifically disclosed. Anynarrower range between any stated values or unstated intervening valuesin a stated range and any other stated or intervening value in thatstated range is encompassed. The upper and lower limits of those smallerranges may independently be included or excluded in the range, and eachrange where either, neither, or both limits are included in the smallerranges is also encompassed within the technology, subject to anyspecifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated rangeincludes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both ofthose included limits are also included.

As used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”,and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a precursor” includes aplurality of such precursors, and reference to “the layer” includesreference to one or more layers and equivalents thereof known to thoseskilled in the art, and so forth.

Also, the words “comprise(s)”, “comprising”, “contain(s)”, “containing”,“include(s)”, and “including”, when used in this specification and inthe following claims, are intended to specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, components, or operations, but they do not precludethe presence or addition of one or more other features, integers,components, operations, acts, or groups.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor substrate supportcomprising: a pedestal having a shaft and a platen; a cover plate,wherein: the cover plate is coupled with the platen along a firstsurface of the cover plate; the cover plate defines a recessed channelin a second surface of the cover plate opposite the first surface,wherein the recessed channel is annular; the cover plate defines atleast one lateral channel that is disposed at a depth within the coverplate that is between a bottom surface of the recessed channel and thefirst surface; and the cover plate defines a plurality of apertures thatfluidly couple the at least one lateral channel with discrete portionsof the recessed channel; and a puck coupled with the second surface ofthe cover plate, the puck incorporating an electrode, wherein the puckdefines a plurality of apertures extending vertically through the puckto fluidly access the recessed channel defined in the cover plate. 2.The semiconductor substrate support of claim 1, wherein the platendefines a fluid channel across the platen.
 3. The semiconductorsubstrate support of claim 1, wherein the recessed channel is a firstrecessed channel, wherein the cover plate defines a second recessedchannel radially outward of the first recessed channel, wherein the atleast one lateral channel comprises a first lateral channel and a secondlateral channel, wherein the first recessed channel is fluidly accessedfrom the first lateral channel defined in the cover plate, and whereinthe second recessed channel is fluidly accessed from the second lateralchannel defined in the cover plate.
 4. The semiconductor substratesupport of claim 3, further comprising: a first channel cover seated onthe first recessed channel, the first channel cover defining a pluralityof apertures through the first channel cover, wherein each aperture ofthe plurality of apertures through the first channel cover is alignedwith a corresponding aperture of the plurality of apertures extendingvertically through the puck.
 5. The semiconductor substrate support ofclaim 1, further comprising: a lift pin assembly extending through theplaten, the cover plate, and the puck, wherein the lift pin assemblycomprises: a lift pin, a liner, a holder, and a counterweight.
 6. Thesemiconductor substrate support of claim 5, wherein an exhaust path isdefined about the liner and through the holder.
 7. The semiconductorsubstrate support of claim 1, further comprising: an RF rod extendingthrough the shaft of the pedestal, the RF rod electrically coupled withthe electrode by a conductive connector disposed within the puck.
 8. Thesemiconductor substrate support of claim 7, further comprising: a rodinsulator extending about the RF rod along a length of the RF rod. 9.The semiconductor substrate support of claim 8, wherein the pedestal isseated in a hub, and wherein the rod insulator extends through the hub.10. The semiconductor substrate support of claim 8, further comprising:a puck insulator extending about the conductive connector within thepuck, wherein the rod insulator is at least partially seated within thepuck insulator.
 11. The semiconductor substrate support of claim 10,wherein the pedestal and cover plate define a purge path extending tothe rod insulator at the cover plate.
 12. The semiconductor substratesupport of claim 11, wherein the purge path continues along an interiorand an exterior of the rod insulator.
 13. A semiconductor processingsystem comprising: a chamber body; a substrate support configured tosupport a semiconductor substrate, wherein the substrate supportcomprises: a pedestal having a shaft and a platen; a cover plate,wherein: the cover plate is coupled with the platen along a firstsurface of the cover plate; the cover plate defines a recessed channelin a second surface of the cover plate opposite the first surface; thecover plate defines at least one lateral channel that is disposed at adepth within the cover plate that is between a bottom surface of therecessed channel and the first surface; and the cover plate defines aplurality of apertures that fluidly couple the at least one lateralchannel with discrete portions of the recessed channel; and a puckcoupled with the second surface of the cover plate, the puckincorporating an electrode, wherein the puck defines a plurality ofapertures extending vertically through the puck to fluidly access therecessed channel defined in the cover plate; a faceplate, wherein thechamber body, the substrate support, and the faceplate define aprocessing region; a high-frequency plasma source coupled with thefaceplate; and a low-frequency plasma source coupled with the substratesupport.
 14. The semiconductor processing system of claim 13, whereinthe substrate support comprises an electrostatic chuck, thesemiconductor processing system further comprising: a DC power supplycoupled with the substrate support.
 15. The semiconductor processingsystem of claim 13, wherein the low-frequency plasma source isconfigured to operate at less than or about 2 MHz, and wherein thehigh-frequency plasma source is configured to operate at greater than orabout 13.56 MHz at a pulsing frequency of less than or about 20 kHz at aduty cycle of less than or about 20%.
 16. The semiconductor processingsystem of claim 15, wherein the high-frequency plasma source isconfigured to generate a plasma at an effective power of less than orabout 5 W.
 17. The semiconductor processing system of claim 13, whereinthe recessed channel is a first recessed channel, wherein the coverplate defines a second recessed channel radially outward of the firstrecessed channel, wherein the at least one lateral channel comprises afirst lateral channel and a second lateral channel, wherein the firstrecessed channel is fluidly accessed from the first lateral channeldefined in the cover plate, and wherein the second recessed channel isfluidly accessed from the second lateral channel defined in the coverplate.
 18. The semiconductor processing system of claim 17, furthercomprising: a first channel cover seated on the first recessed channel,the first channel cover defining a plurality of apertures through thefirst channel cover, wherein each aperture of the plurality of aperturesthrough the first channel cover is aligned with a corresponding apertureof the plurality of apertures extending vertically through the puck. 19.The semiconductor processing system of claim 13, further comprising: afirst L-C filter coupled with the substrate support and configured tovirtually ground the high-frequency plasma source through the substratesupport.
 20. The semiconductor processing system of claim 19, furthercomprising: a second L-C filter coupled with the faceplate andconfigured to virtually ground the low-frequency plasma source to thechamber body.